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Shatter Me: The New Republic #2
Release Me
Sie können nur gewinnen, wenn sie zusammenarbeiten. Doch können sie sich vertrauen?
Rosabelle, einst loyale Kämpferin des Reestablishment, sinnt auf Rache. Um ihre Schwester zu retten, muss sie alles ablegen, was sie zu wissen glaubte, und sich gegen das Reestablishment stellen. Das könnte sie zur perfekten Verbündeten für die New Republic machen. Doch niemand vertraut einer ehemaligen Attentäterin. Am allerwenigsten Aaron Warner. Er ist sich sicher, dass sie nur der Vorbote einer noch viel dunkleren Bedrohung ist. Damit bringt er seinen Bruder James in eine Zwickmühle. Der ist bereit, alles aufzugeben, um sich auf Rosabelles Seite zu stellen. Eine Entscheidung, die er mehr mit dem Herzen trifft als mit dem Verstand – und die über Rettung oder Untergang seiner Welt entscheiden könnte …
Band 2 des Spin-offs zur »Shatter Me«-Reihe von Tahereh Mafi liefert nervenzerreißende Spannung, atemraubende Enthüllungen und rasante ActionAlle Bände der »Shatter Me«-
Shatter Me (Band 1)
Unravel Me (Band 2)
Ignite Me (Band 3)
Restore Me (Band 4)
Defy Me (Band 5)
Imagine Me (Band 6)
Watch Me (Spin-off, Band 1)
Release Me (Spin-off, Band 2)
Rosabelle, einst loyale Kämpferin des Reestablishment, sinnt auf Rache. Um ihre Schwester zu retten, muss sie alles ablegen, was sie zu wissen glaubte, und sich gegen das Reestablishment stellen. Das könnte sie zur perfekten Verbündeten für die New Republic machen. Doch niemand vertraut einer ehemaligen Attentäterin. Am allerwenigsten Aaron Warner. Er ist sich sicher, dass sie nur der Vorbote einer noch viel dunkleren Bedrohung ist. Damit bringt er seinen Bruder James in eine Zwickmühle. Der ist bereit, alles aufzugeben, um sich auf Rosabelles Seite zu stellen. Eine Entscheidung, die er mehr mit dem Herzen trifft als mit dem Verstand – und die über Rettung oder Untergang seiner Welt entscheiden könnte …
Band 2 des Spin-offs zur »Shatter Me«-Reihe von Tahereh Mafi liefert nervenzerreißende Spannung, atemraubende Enthüllungen und rasante ActionAlle Bände der »Shatter Me«-
Shatter Me (Band 1)
Unravel Me (Band 2)
Ignite Me (Band 3)
Restore Me (Band 4)
Defy Me (Band 5)
Imagine Me (Band 6)
Watch Me (Spin-off, Band 1)
Release Me (Spin-off, Band 2)
414 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2026
About the author
Tahereh Mafi
62 books73.4k followersTahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. Shatter Me is her first series, with television rights optioned by ABC Signature Studios; Furthermore, her first middle grade novel, is on shelves now, and Whichwood, its darker companion, will be on shelves November 14, 2017.
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Want to Read
August 31, 2025i'm going insane jk. i'm climbing the walls. i'm screaming. i'm shaking. i'm giggling and kicking my feet. i'm crying. an aaron pov in this economy?! 😭✋🏻
April 16, 2026
4.75 Stars! ★★★★☆
(No~spoilers)
~𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵; 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.
AAA SO GOOD!! 😭😭💗💗💗
Literally had everything I NEEDED FROM THIS BOOK
and it DID NOT disappoint 🙂↔️
💗💗💗
Wish we had more Warnette content but overall LOVED everything we got!!
And ugh the YEARNING we got from Warner didn’t disappoint either IDC I COULD READ ON AND ON ABOUT HIM AND JULIETTE🤌🏻😭
"𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯," 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴.
"𝘐𝘧 𝘑 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯?"
"𝘠𝘦𝘴."
~𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴
𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦.
𝘐𝘧 𝘌𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦.
LIKE UM YES. I’m still not over them both 😭
And Rosabelle & James literally have me sick I ADORE them both and their dynamic 😩🤌🏻
AND OMG JAMES…might be up there with my shatter men because oml he was DOWN BAD. I love him.
IM NEED THE NEXT BOOK RN 💥 💥 💳
⭐️Rating: 4/5
📚Age Rating: 15+
🔥Spice: 0/5
💌Favorite quotes:
~"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?"
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘭𝘺.
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦."
~ 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦.
𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
(WARNER AA⬆️)
💜Pre-read:
DADDY’S HOME YALL. WE ARE SO BACK
🩵Pre-release:
WE’RE GETTING WARNER’S POV IN THIS BOOK??
OH WE ARE SO BACKK
Alexa, play Daddy’s Home by Usher 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥
(No~spoilers)
~𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵; 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.
AAA SO GOOD!! 😭😭💗💗💗
Literally had everything I NEEDED FROM THIS BOOK
and it DID NOT disappoint 🙂↔️
💗💗💗
Wish we had more Warnette content but overall LOVED everything we got!!
And ugh the YEARNING we got from Warner didn’t disappoint either IDC I COULD READ ON AND ON ABOUT HIM AND JULIETTE🤌🏻😭
"𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯," 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴.
"𝘐𝘧 𝘑 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯?"
"𝘠𝘦𝘴."
~𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴
𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦.
𝘐𝘧 𝘌𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦.
LIKE UM YES. I’m still not over them both 😭
And Rosabelle & James literally have me sick I ADORE them both and their dynamic 😩🤌🏻
AND OMG JAMES…might be up there with my shatter men because oml he was DOWN BAD. I love him.
IM NEED THE NEXT BOOK RN 💥 💥 💳
⭐️Rating: 4/5
📚Age Rating: 15+
🔥Spice: 0/5
💌Favorite quotes:
~"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?"
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘭𝘺.
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦."
~ 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦.
𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
(WARNER AA⬆️)
💜Pre-read:
DADDY’S HOME YALL. WE ARE SO BACK
🩵Pre-release:
WE’RE GETTING WARNER’S POV IN THIS BOOK??
OH WE ARE SO BACKK
Alexa, play Daddy’s Home by Usher 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥
April 13, 2026
Idk how to rate this one. I had a lot of fun with it especially considering 60% of the book. After that it started to frustrate me a lot. It's definitely better than Watch Me. But not perfect, far from it.
Firstly, coming to the plot, it was far more engaging for me even though majority of it was pure chaos. Come to think of it, there was not a moment where the characters or I found a moment to breathe with the situation at hand. No, we just keep rolling and making more messes rather than resolving anything. There's a whole lot of drama here with almost all the couples involved and it led to a lot of avoidance of conversations that actually mattered.
I did like that the book starts off with Warner's pov and he instantly hooks you in. The raw vulnerability and that same cold, calculated mind is what makes him stand out. And I loved that we went back to that bit of his personality instead of softening him up because he's found love in 'not insane' Juliette.
Kenji is a ray of sunshine as always though a little more stressed in this one. I understood his position but him and Nazeera really need to sort out their issues. And if I really think about it with how this book revealed more tidbits about them, it's just one big miscommunication trope.
Now, James, I like him. He's the likable sort of chaos, loyal, protective and almost as unhinged as a dark romance mmc. There are similarities to him in Aaron in the way they carry themselves. But while Aaron is more contained and controlled, James throws it all out. He's totally the type of man who growls. And not hesitant to put himself out there emotionally and physically. Like I could be feral for James if we keep on that path.
Rosabelle, I tried. I really tried to like her here. But this woman frustrated me. I'm sorry, I could not find her likable here. She might have frustrated me more than Juliette ever did. Cause this girl has the communication skills of a toddler. She cannot speak in proper sentences for minutes and then she pops up those intense statements to James every once in a while. I'm sorry, that's such an inconsistent writing. We don't explore her thoughts on the man but sure let me believe that she cares for him because she said one good line 🥴😒
I did like the intensity of the romance between James and Rosabelle that's been building. But it is mostly because James is carrying it on his back. Rosabelle might not even exist and I'll ship James with a wall 🤦♀️ I did however enjoy their relationship from Aaron's pov. Because it was that scene that shifted the tone a little.
Coming to the ending, it was decent. I liked the cliffhanger and I'm going to read the next one for sure. But please for the love start getting your characters to communicate. This book could have been hundred pages of Rosabelle had just tried to speak properly like a grown ass woman even once. Because there was a whole bunch of random ass talking happening here in this one but no solutions. It is what brings my rating down.
~•~•~
I'm just here for Daddy Warner. The rest of the plot can catch on fire and I couldn't care less...
Firstly, coming to the plot, it was far more engaging for me even though majority of it was pure chaos. Come to think of it, there was not a moment where the characters or I found a moment to breathe with the situation at hand. No, we just keep rolling and making more messes rather than resolving anything. There's a whole lot of drama here with almost all the couples involved and it led to a lot of avoidance of conversations that actually mattered.
I did like that the book starts off with Warner's pov and he instantly hooks you in. The raw vulnerability and that same cold, calculated mind is what makes him stand out. And I loved that we went back to that bit of his personality instead of softening him up because he's found love in 'not insane' Juliette.
Kenji is a ray of sunshine as always though a little more stressed in this one. I understood his position but him and Nazeera really need to sort out their issues. And if I really think about it with how this book revealed more tidbits about them, it's just one big miscommunication trope.
Now, James, I like him. He's the likable sort of chaos, loyal, protective and almost as unhinged as a dark romance mmc. There are similarities to him in Aaron in the way they carry themselves. But while Aaron is more contained and controlled, James throws it all out. He's totally the type of man who growls. And not hesitant to put himself out there emotionally and physically. Like I could be feral for James if we keep on that path.
Rosabelle, I tried. I really tried to like her here. But this woman frustrated me. I'm sorry, I could not find her likable here. She might have frustrated me more than Juliette ever did. Cause this girl has the communication skills of a toddler. She cannot speak in proper sentences for minutes and then she pops up those intense statements to James every once in a while. I'm sorry, that's such an inconsistent writing. We don't explore her thoughts on the man but sure let me believe that she cares for him because she said one good line 🥴😒
I did like the intensity of the romance between James and Rosabelle that's been building. But it is mostly because James is carrying it on his back. Rosabelle might not even exist and I'll ship James with a wall 🤦♀️ I did however enjoy their relationship from Aaron's pov. Because it was that scene that shifted the tone a little.
Coming to the ending, it was decent. I liked the cliffhanger and I'm going to read the next one for sure. But please for the love start getting your characters to communicate. This book could have been hundred pages of Rosabelle had just tried to speak properly like a grown ass woman even once. Because there was a whole bunch of random ass talking happening here in this one but no solutions. It is what brings my rating down.
~•~•~
I'm just here for Daddy Warner. The rest of the plot can catch on fire and I couldn't care less...
Want to Read
October 2, 2025Assassins Collide, Secrets Ignite, and Love's gonna Burn Wild!ᝰ.ᐟ⚡
Welcome back to The New Republic, where trust is lethal, hearts are fragile, and chaos reigns supreme.Rosabelle returns, a storm wrapped in silence, James, caught between duty and desire.. If Watch Me was about survival, secrets, and the brutality of Ark Island, then Release Me is shaping up to be about reckoning... Ark Island isn’t done with Rosabelle yet. The New Republic has secrets. James has questions. And the Reestablishment? They’re only warming up.
⚡ Betrayals will sting.
💔 Hearts will unravel.
🔥 And trust? It won’t survive the fire.
📌 Expect everything:
Deadly alliances? ✔️
Heart-stopping betrayals? ✔️
Villains that make your blood run cold? ✔️✔️
Love simmering in the shadows of assassination? 🔥
Tension so sharp it could cut steel? ✔️✔️✔️
📢Aaron"I grieve nothing, I take everything" warner - in his prime daddy era - inject it into my veins.🥂🔥
We are getting daddy's Warners POV!- GURLLL DINNER 2026🍽️ 🧘🏻♀️
and I cannot. I repeat: CANNOT...
I . AM . SAT!!!👏🏻 I’m going FERAL.👏🏻
Manifesting warner as-
A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD
A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD
🎨 COLOR THEORY:
The cover, y’all. The soft pinks, the muted peaches, the hazy pastels—AHHH MAFI, THE COVER IS GORGEOUS.. I mean, the way the pinks swirl with soft shadows? It’s giving me heart-fluttering chaos and end-of-the-world vibes at once. Every time I glance at it, I hear my own heartbeat syncing to the story’s tension. Mafi, you did that. 👏💘
📍The ending left us hanging (hello, cliffhanger chaos 😭), but book two feels like it will rip deeper into:
✦The Mutative Gene Will Explode in Importance
Rosabelle’s genetic mutation, hinted at in Watch Me, won’t just be a character quirk—it could be the key to either saving The New Republic or destroying it. I think book two will show us exactly how dangerous (or powerful) she truly is.
✦James Will Be Torn Apart
He’s caught between Warner’s expectations, Rosabelle’s pull, and his own need to prove himself. Don’t be surprised if James betrays Rosabelle at some point—out of fear, loyalty conflict, or to protect her. Their trust will be tested.
✦︎Warner Will See Too Much of Himself in Rosabelle
He knows what it’s like to be made into a weapon, stripped of choice, hardened by survival. Their conversations could be some of the most cutting, emotional scenes. He may push her harder than anyone else—but also offer her the sharpest path to redemption.
✦︎Clara’s Health as Catalyst
Clara isn’t just background. If her condition worsens, Rosabelle might do the unthinkable—ally with someone dark (maybe even Soledad) to keep her alive. Clara’s innocence is the ultimate bargaining chip.
✦︎Soledad & Klaus Are Not Done
Expect Soledad to slither back into the story. And Klaus? The ambiguity about whether he’s just code or something more screams book two payoff. If Klaus merges tech with human will, Rosabelle might be his “chosen vessel.”
✦︎The Nexus Will Turn on Everyone
In Watch Me, The Nexus was a tool of surveillance. In Release Me, I think it becomes uncontrollable—maybe even rewriting people’s memories or reshaping identities. What if Rosabelle’s past isn’t even fully hers? 👀
📌 Manifestation Checklist:
-Daddy warner's POV!!!
-Rosabelle breaking her walls. 🪄
-James surviving his own reckless heart. 🔥
-Kenji getting the closure he deserves (I SWEAR, we need it). 🫀
-Ark Island exploding in style. 💥
-Love, betrayal, revenge, redemption… all at once. 🗡️
I’m not ready.
I repeat: I’m so not ready.
Because this book promises tension, fire, and heartbreak, and yet… I cannot wait to dive in. If Ark Island doesn’t break me, the romance, the betrayal, and the chaos will.
🔥 Final Manifesto Update:
Rosabelle’s chaos arc. James self-sacrifice. Daddy Warner POV. Clara’s fate. Kenji x Nazeera reunion.
If we don’t get closure for Kenji, I will cry in lowercase for a week.Because if Release Me doesn’t break me in 72 different directions? Was it even a Tahereh Mafi book!?
Welcome back to The New Republic, where trust is lethal, hearts are fragile, and chaos reigns supreme.Rosabelle returns, a storm wrapped in silence, James, caught between duty and desire.. If Watch Me was about survival, secrets, and the brutality of Ark Island, then Release Me is shaping up to be about reckoning... Ark Island isn’t done with Rosabelle yet. The New Republic has secrets. James has questions. And the Reestablishment? They’re only warming up.
⚡ Betrayals will sting.
💔 Hearts will unravel.
🔥 And trust? It won’t survive the fire.
📌 Expect everything:
Deadly alliances? ✔️
Heart-stopping betrayals? ✔️
Villains that make your blood run cold? ✔️✔️
Love simmering in the shadows of assassination? 🔥
Tension so sharp it could cut steel? ✔️✔️✔️
📢Aaron"I grieve nothing, I take everything" warner - in his prime daddy era - inject it into my veins.🥂🔥
We are getting daddy's Warners POV!- GURLLL DINNER 2026🍽️ 🧘🏻♀️
and I cannot. I repeat: CANNOT...
I . AM . SAT!!!👏🏻 I’m going FERAL.👏🏻
Manifesting warner as-
A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD. A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD A GIRL DAD
🎨 COLOR THEORY:
The cover, y’all. The soft pinks, the muted peaches, the hazy pastels—AHHH MAFI, THE COVER IS GORGEOUS.. I mean, the way the pinks swirl with soft shadows? It’s giving me heart-fluttering chaos and end-of-the-world vibes at once. Every time I glance at it, I hear my own heartbeat syncing to the story’s tension. Mafi, you did that. 👏💘
📍The ending left us hanging (hello, cliffhanger chaos 😭), but book two feels like it will rip deeper into:
✦The Mutative Gene Will Explode in Importance
Rosabelle’s genetic mutation, hinted at in Watch Me, won’t just be a character quirk—it could be the key to either saving The New Republic or destroying it. I think book two will show us exactly how dangerous (or powerful) she truly is.
✦James Will Be Torn Apart
He’s caught between Warner’s expectations, Rosabelle’s pull, and his own need to prove himself. Don’t be surprised if James betrays Rosabelle at some point—out of fear, loyalty conflict, or to protect her. Their trust will be tested.
✦︎Warner Will See Too Much of Himself in Rosabelle
He knows what it’s like to be made into a weapon, stripped of choice, hardened by survival. Their conversations could be some of the most cutting, emotional scenes. He may push her harder than anyone else—but also offer her the sharpest path to redemption.
✦︎Clara’s Health as Catalyst
Clara isn’t just background. If her condition worsens, Rosabelle might do the unthinkable—ally with someone dark (maybe even Soledad) to keep her alive. Clara’s innocence is the ultimate bargaining chip.
✦︎Soledad & Klaus Are Not Done
Expect Soledad to slither back into the story. And Klaus? The ambiguity about whether he’s just code or something more screams book two payoff. If Klaus merges tech with human will, Rosabelle might be his “chosen vessel.”
✦︎The Nexus Will Turn on Everyone
In Watch Me, The Nexus was a tool of surveillance. In Release Me, I think it becomes uncontrollable—maybe even rewriting people’s memories or reshaping identities. What if Rosabelle’s past isn’t even fully hers? 👀
📌 Manifestation Checklist:
-Daddy warner's POV!!!
-Rosabelle breaking her walls. 🪄
-James surviving his own reckless heart. 🔥
-Kenji getting the closure he deserves (I SWEAR, we need it). 🫀
-Ark Island exploding in style. 💥
-Love, betrayal, revenge, redemption… all at once. 🗡️
I’m not ready.
I repeat: I’m so not ready.
Because this book promises tension, fire, and heartbreak, and yet… I cannot wait to dive in. If Ark Island doesn’t break me, the romance, the betrayal, and the chaos will.
🔥 Final Manifesto Update:
Rosabelle’s chaos arc. James self-sacrifice. Daddy Warner POV. Clara’s fate. Kenji x Nazeera reunion.
If we don’t get closure for Kenji, I will cry in lowercase for a week.Because if Release Me doesn’t break me in 72 different directions? Was it even a Tahereh Mafi book!?
April 11, 2026
RELEASE ME from the shackles that is this series.
April 17, 2026
release me from this tormenting slow burn. safe to say that James Alexander Anderson went to the school of Aaron Warner Pathetic Yearning Longing Lusting. Than man IS his brother in every word. crazy how they could be in a life or death situation and his thoughts are “so when is your birthday?” my boy is whipped, rightfully so. 🤏🏽
reading Aaron Warners POV once again was like coming home to my husband. he is the king of “i don’t do anything without my wife’s permission” cuz what do you mean he feels like he’s in the wrong place if she isn’t with him? “the precious few hours a day i have to myself i like to spend with my wife. i don't go out at night unless i'm with my wife. if ella isn't with me, i'm in the wrong place” you know what? HELL YEAH! 💓
James is the 7x7 = 49 to Aaron’s 9x9 = 81 what an iconic duo. and can we talk about the humor in this book? kenji saves the day once again. but not only that, put kenji, aaron, and james in a room and it’s so bro humor. it was giving frat boy energy anytime they communicated with one another and i was here for it. ‼️
This may be a YA book but James sure as hell ain’t! “ I want her naked in the moonlight. I want to lay her down under the stars. I want to feel the wind on my back when I make her scream” James i wasn’t familiar with your game. no dna test needed to prove he’s aaron’s brother.🤝
i feel like so much happened in this book and it ended right when shit was hitting the fan. like that final scene? ok costco. that scene in the diner with Rosabelle and James?!? someone sedate me. James is so passionate and whimsical. i feel like i’m being bathed in sunlight whenever he describes Rosabelle “she's so beautiful it's actually a little hard on my brain. the first time i saw her i glitched so hard i convinced myself she wasn't even human she looks like if a flower were a person. like if clouds were a person. like if a person was made of cake.” he is a man written by a woman. *sighs in agony*
i need kenji and nazeera to get their shit together or just give me an entire book of just them. also juliette and aaron will have a girl. aaron warner is meant to be a girl dad the same way the sun rises everyday. i am ready for dilf era aaron fucking warner‼️🤰🏻
reading Aaron Warners POV once again was like coming home to my husband. he is the king of “i don’t do anything without my wife’s permission” cuz what do you mean he feels like he’s in the wrong place if she isn’t with him? “the precious few hours a day i have to myself i like to spend with my wife. i don't go out at night unless i'm with my wife. if ella isn't with me, i'm in the wrong place” you know what? HELL YEAH! 💓
James is the 7x7 = 49 to Aaron’s 9x9 = 81 what an iconic duo. and can we talk about the humor in this book? kenji saves the day once again. but not only that, put kenji, aaron, and james in a room and it’s so bro humor. it was giving frat boy energy anytime they communicated with one another and i was here for it. ‼️
This may be a YA book but James sure as hell ain’t! “ I want her naked in the moonlight. I want to lay her down under the stars. I want to feel the wind on my back when I make her scream” James i wasn’t familiar with your game. no dna test needed to prove he’s aaron’s brother.🤝
i feel like so much happened in this book and it ended right when shit was hitting the fan. like that final scene? ok costco. that scene in the diner with Rosabelle and James?!? someone sedate me. James is so passionate and whimsical. i feel like i’m being bathed in sunlight whenever he describes Rosabelle “she's so beautiful it's actually a little hard on my brain. the first time i saw her i glitched so hard i convinced myself she wasn't even human she looks like if a flower were a person. like if clouds were a person. like if a person was made of cake.” he is a man written by a woman. *sighs in agony*
i need kenji and nazeera to get their shit together or just give me an entire book of just them. also juliette and aaron will have a girl. aaron warner is meant to be a girl dad the same way the sun rises everyday. i am ready for dilf era aaron fucking warner‼️🤰🏻
April 10, 2026
3⭐ Mostly 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 in this book was either us living in Rosabelle mind, or conversations between characters. 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁. Why is everything happening in less than a week? I really hate when the timeline and major events unfold in little time. I'd say this book is 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 for my likings. And idk what happened to Tahereh Mafi forgetting the plot in her new books or making it boring.
I love 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, and that we get alot of the 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 series characters, BUT THIS BOOK ISN'T ABOUT THEM! I think Tahereh mafi forgot who's her main characters and just decided to focus on the shatter me cast and put very little of the main characters Rosabelle and James. And I'm not saying that they aren't there, it's just not enough considering them the main characters.
𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗢𝗩 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. It's not only for the cute scenes between him and Juliette, But also because of the similarities between him and Rosabelle and the way he sees the old him in her and feels sorry for her even if he doesn't show it.
The scenes that includes 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 are so little and short. We do get to know her but if she's the FMC then the book should focus on her as much as it's focusing on the 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 characters.
I feel bad for her, she's a mix of warner and juliette. She's lost and trying to keep her sanity just as juliette, And under watch and laws to be something she never asked for just as warner. I feel bad for her, this book shows us a version of herself she doesn't let anyone see, not even her sister.
Also, the way I still don't know what is her power? She has the ability to survive days without food or water or enough sleep, turn off her brain? Idk I'm really curious.
𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 Is just as Aaron when it comes to yearning. Guys she kissed him once and then he can't think straight ever since lmao.
And the way Rosabelle is affecting his brain chemistry just as Juliette once was having the same effect on Aaron? Yes please.
“Looking at her for too long makes me uncomfortable. Looking at her for too long takes me to dark places. In her I see shades of myself, and I don’t like the comparison.”
“I would kill for him without question, I would die for him without hesitation. He lives or no one lives. I would protect him with my life.”
|𝐏𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 ˚.꒷₊ྀིྀིྀི ⑅ ݁˖
𝖨 𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝖨'𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗎𝖿𝖿𝗋𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗈𝗐... 𝖬𝗒 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾'𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝖺𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗅 𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗇 😭😭 𝖨'𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 🫣
I love 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, and that we get alot of the 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 series characters, BUT THIS BOOK ISN'T ABOUT THEM! I think Tahereh mafi forgot who's her main characters and just decided to focus on the shatter me cast and put very little of the main characters Rosabelle and James. And I'm not saying that they aren't there, it's just not enough considering them the main characters.
𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗢𝗩 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. It's not only for the cute scenes between him and Juliette, But also because of the similarities between him and Rosabelle and the way he sees the old him in her and feels sorry for her even if he doesn't show it.
The scenes that includes 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 are so little and short. We do get to know her but if she's the FMC then the book should focus on her as much as it's focusing on the 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 characters.
I feel bad for her, she's a mix of warner and juliette. She's lost and trying to keep her sanity just as juliette, And under watch and laws to be something she never asked for just as warner. I feel bad for her, this book shows us a version of herself she doesn't let anyone see, not even her sister.
Also, the way I still don't know what is her power? She has the ability to survive days without food or water or enough sleep, turn off her brain? Idk I'm really curious.
𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 Is just as Aaron when it comes to yearning. Guys she kissed him once and then he can't think straight ever since lmao.
And the way Rosabelle is affecting his brain chemistry just as Juliette once was having the same effect on Aaron? Yes please.
“Looking at her for too long makes me uncomfortable. Looking at her for too long takes me to dark places. In her I see shades of myself, and I don’t like the comparison.”
“I would kill for him without question, I would die for him without hesitation. He lives or no one lives. I would protect him with my life.”
|𝐏𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 ˚.꒷₊ྀིྀིྀི ⑅ ݁˖
𝖨 𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝖨'𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗎𝖿𝖿𝗋𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗈𝗐... 𝖬𝗒 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾'𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝖺𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗅 𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗇 😭😭 𝖨'𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 🫣
anticipated-books
December 22, 2025POV: I have a kind of Stockholm syndrome-like relationship with Tahereh Mafi's books🤡, but I'm hoping that novel will change everything!
Want to Read
August 22, 2025warner chapters. AARON 👏 WARNER 👏 CHAPTERS 👏
April 11, 2026
HOLY CLIFFHANGER!!!! 😲
This was more entertaining than the first installment, but I felt almost too fast paced. My head was spinning the entire time and I needed some slower portions to allow my brain to catch up. This whole book happened only in the span of a few days, so there felt like there was not enough time for everything to happen.
Despite the lighting fast pacing, I would like to talk about what was well done. Aaron Warner. That's it. just kidding, there's more good stuff. I loved the electric tension and chemistry between Rosabelle and James. Remember the obsession that Warner had with Juliette? Well, it's that obsession but for both parties involved. This makes the plot incredibly entertaining because we're just getting fed their chemistry and their obsession between the already tension filled plot.
Aaron Warner's perspective definitely didn't disappoint.
"I want to go home.
I miss my wife."
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH this is what ive been waiting for LITERAL YEARS FOR!!! Ive read all the fanfics on Ao3 on warner's perspective so it's so incredibly exciting to actually get it straight from the author.
This was more entertaining than the first installment, but I felt almost too fast paced. My head was spinning the entire time and I needed some slower portions to allow my brain to catch up. This whole book happened only in the span of a few days, so there felt like there was not enough time for everything to happen.
Despite the lighting fast pacing, I would like to talk about what was well done. Aaron Warner. That's it. just kidding, there's more good stuff. I loved the electric tension and chemistry between Rosabelle and James. Remember the obsession that Warner had with Juliette? Well, it's that obsession but for both parties involved. This makes the plot incredibly entertaining because we're just getting fed their chemistry and their obsession between the already tension filled plot.
Aaron Warner's perspective definitely didn't disappoint.
"I want to go home.
I miss my wife."
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH this is what ive been waiting for LITERAL YEARS FOR!!! Ive read all the fanfics on Ao3 on warner's perspective so it's so incredibly exciting to actually get it straight from the author.
Currently Reading
August 20, 2025My gorgeous Aaron Warner is coming home to me 😝
AGAIN
AGAIN
Want to Read
August 21, 2025THIS ISNT A DRILL WE’RE GETTING AARON CHAPTERS OMG OMG OMG
Want to Read
April 16, 2026The streets are saying Juliette's going to die in childbirth?!? 🤨🤨🤨 That better not happen.
Read
August 20, 2025AHHHHH TAHEREH IS FEEDING US 👅👅
I ACTUALLY CANT WAIT THIS IS SO EXCITING
I ACTUALLY CANT WAIT THIS IS SO EXCITING
April 14, 2026
aaron and kenji caried this and rosabelle and james made me go wth every five seconds. i might write a full review or maybe just some quotes. quotes yay or nay
QUOTE TIME
"i only shoot people when they deserve it i point out. yet you feel the need to punctuate every other sentence with a vulgar epithet that only serves to diminish you in the process--
pop off warner i love you for standing on business.
it soon became clear to me that i was dealing with a level of incompetence so profound it was almost impossible to believe
rosa shut the frick up have you read your chapters queen, you are 1800 level dumb
He whispers, "That's practically a declaration of love, Rosabelle Wolff
warner from temu !!! this is after rosa says she doesn't want to kill him. like babes you can try but you will never beat THE FREAKING AARON WARNER
its hard to believe this man is married james in ref to aaron warner.
um...i'd marry him. who said that
falling in love feels a little like dying
oh okay note to self, dont fall in love !! i already got the "feels a little like dying" down and theres no love from anyone
i'm unhinged and apparently im committing to the personality all the way down
james you are so unhinged the door isn't even in the room with us. matter of a fact, you weren't hinged to begin with. hinge wants to cancel their contract bc you just dont shut up.
where is she supposed to be visiting from, serial killer academy? she has the personality of a wall
my king winston on rosabelle
more than one person needs to punch me in the face. i need people to line up. take turns
I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE JAMES I"LL PUNCH YOU (who said that) he pmo
she's never not beautiful. it always decimates me
warner on ella. kill me now. i can never compete
HAPPY RELEASE ME DAY TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE
QUOTE TIME
"i only shoot people when they deserve it i point out. yet you feel the need to punctuate every other sentence with a vulgar epithet that only serves to diminish you in the process--
pop off warner i love you for standing on business.
it soon became clear to me that i was dealing with a level of incompetence so profound it was almost impossible to believe
rosa shut the frick up have you read your chapters queen, you are 1800 level dumb
He whispers, "That's practically a declaration of love, Rosabelle Wolff
warner from temu !!! this is after rosa says she doesn't want to kill him. like babes you can try but you will never beat THE FREAKING AARON WARNER
its hard to believe this man is married james in ref to aaron warner.
um...i'd marry him. who said that
falling in love feels a little like dying
oh okay note to self, dont fall in love !! i already got the "feels a little like dying" down and theres no love from anyone
i'm unhinged and apparently im committing to the personality all the way down
james you are so unhinged the door isn't even in the room with us. matter of a fact, you weren't hinged to begin with. hinge wants to cancel their contract bc you just dont shut up.
where is she supposed to be visiting from, serial killer academy? she has the personality of a wall
my king winston on rosabelle
more than one person needs to punch me in the face. i need people to line up. take turns
I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE JAMES I"LL PUNCH YOU (who said that) he pmo
she's never not beautiful. it always decimates me
warner on ella. kill me now. i can never compete
HAPPY RELEASE ME DAY TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE
April 13, 2026
Let’s start with the fact that we got an Aaron Warner POV in the very first chapter and I was quite literally screaming, giggling, and swinging my feet. If you didn’t have a physical reaction to that, are you even breathing? I opted for the audiobook this time because I needed to hear the voices of Warner, James, and the rest of the crew vibrating in my ears, and let me tell you—it was an out-of-body experience. Tahereh Mafi has this uncanny ability to make words feel like art, and Release Me is a five-star masterpiece that proves the Mafi-verse is still the ultimate chokehold.
The world-building is getting even more intense, and my hatred for The Reestablishment has reached a fever pitch. These people are like cockroaches; they simply refuse to die and keep coming back like a bad rash you can’t itch. I feel so deeply for Rosabelle and everyone trapped in that nightmare, but can we talk about her power? The ability to kill yourself and just… come back? It’s creepy, it’s haunting, and it’s arguably more terrifyingly powerful than Juliette Ferrars herself. Rosabelle is a certified badass assassin, and watching her navigate this chaos is pure competence porn.
Then there’s my baby, James. He is so hopelessly, madly in love with Rosabelle that he doesn't know his left from his right. It’s official: this brand of "burn the world for her" devotion and obsessive love absolutely runs in the family. Watching James fall was the highlight of my week—may this level of obsession find me in real life, Amen! And despite the fact that nothing "explicit" happened between them, the sexual tension was like hot lava. The restraint was agonizing, and I was holding my breath through every single interaction.
The family dynamics in this book gave me life. Seeing James, Aaron, and Adam actually acting like brothers is the character development I didn't know I needed. Adam is the exhausted family man just trying to survive his kids, James is lost in his new obsession, and Aaron is out here acting all tough while internally spiralling over Juliette’s dangerous pregnancy. I missed seeing more of Juliette, but she’s busy "cooking" the next generation of Warner greatness, so I’ll allow it. The chemistry between the men of this family is elite—Alexa, play Same Damn Time. hehehe
We also need to address the tragedy that is Kenji and Nazeera. They are so perfectly matched that the fact they are currently broken up and dysfunctional is a personal attack on my soul. They literally cannot function without each other. At this point, someone needs to lock them in a room for a week until they figure it out. We deserve a full-length book dedicated solely to their chaotic, beautiful love because I have my grabby hands ready and they deserve their HEA more than anyone.
Finally, THAT ENDING. I am quite literally dead on the floor. That cliffhanger should come with a health warning because it was dangerous to my heart. "I am her fiancé and I am here to take Rosabelle back." Are you joking?! I am deceased, gone, evaporated.
----------
Tropes:
🔥 Proximity & Hidden Agendas
🔥 "Touch Her and You Die" Energy
🔥 Found Family / Brother Dynamics
🔥 Badass Assassin FMC
🔥 High-Stakes Cliffhanger
The world-building is getting even more intense, and my hatred for The Reestablishment has reached a fever pitch. These people are like cockroaches; they simply refuse to die and keep coming back like a bad rash you can’t itch. I feel so deeply for Rosabelle and everyone trapped in that nightmare, but can we talk about her power? The ability to kill yourself and just… come back? It’s creepy, it’s haunting, and it’s arguably more terrifyingly powerful than Juliette Ferrars herself. Rosabelle is a certified badass assassin, and watching her navigate this chaos is pure competence porn.
Then there’s my baby, James. He is so hopelessly, madly in love with Rosabelle that he doesn't know his left from his right. It’s official: this brand of "burn the world for her" devotion and obsessive love absolutely runs in the family. Watching James fall was the highlight of my week—may this level of obsession find me in real life, Amen! And despite the fact that nothing "explicit" happened between them, the sexual tension was like hot lava. The restraint was agonizing, and I was holding my breath through every single interaction.
The family dynamics in this book gave me life. Seeing James, Aaron, and Adam actually acting like brothers is the character development I didn't know I needed. Adam is the exhausted family man just trying to survive his kids, James is lost in his new obsession, and Aaron is out here acting all tough while internally spiralling over Juliette’s dangerous pregnancy. I missed seeing more of Juliette, but she’s busy "cooking" the next generation of Warner greatness, so I’ll allow it. The chemistry between the men of this family is elite—Alexa, play Same Damn Time. hehehe
We also need to address the tragedy that is Kenji and Nazeera. They are so perfectly matched that the fact they are currently broken up and dysfunctional is a personal attack on my soul. They literally cannot function without each other. At this point, someone needs to lock them in a room for a week until they figure it out. We deserve a full-length book dedicated solely to their chaotic, beautiful love because I have my grabby hands ready and they deserve their HEA more than anyone.
Finally, THAT ENDING. I am quite literally dead on the floor. That cliffhanger should come with a health warning because it was dangerous to my heart. "I am her fiancé and I am here to take Rosabelle back." Are you joking?! I am deceased, gone, evaporated.
----------
Tropes:
🔥 Proximity & Hidden Agendas
🔥 "Touch Her and You Die" Energy
🔥 Found Family / Brother Dynamics
🔥 Badass Assassin FMC
🔥 High-Stakes Cliffhanger
April 18, 2026
right so finishing this at 00:40 was definitely not good for my sleep but it sure as hell felt like it was the right time to finish this book at
👁️✨🌌💕
wow wow wow tahereh mafi has SURELY done it again. i don’t understand how she keeps cooking up these masterpieces in a year.
getting into it, the world was just… chefs perfection? we had so much more world building from the ark to the waffle? (still have no idea what this is but okay!). i really loved how we just traveled through like 3 different areas of this world in two books, and some bits were a little overpowering as it was all being thrown in my head, BUT IT WAS SO GOOD!! i don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has this much world in it (im over exaggerating but im glazing tahereh 😻)
right I LOVE james as he is such a good character and has such a good backstory, i love the little mentions of the shatter me series because it brings me backkkk . but also Rosabelle?? SHE IS GENUINELY SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER and she brings so much to the book in terms of character relationships and climax/turning points. like DANGGG girl I haven’t seen another character like you in AGESSS.
oh and the fact we got a warner pov 😻😭 i am literally fangirling back to when i first read this series and im so happy he’s back. i was deadass running in circles 🏃 of excitement!! AND JULIETTE MY SHAYLA IS BACK
adam, kenji, nazeera: ITS SO NICE TO SEE THEM ALL AGAIN 😭😭😭
i love love love love love the backstory of the Ark, it’s so fascinating to see the characters interpretation and then rosabelles interpretation of her own world. but that girl has been through so much I think she genuinely needs therapy. back to the Ark!! it reminds me of the re-establishment in the og series and I lovedddd how we kept some aspects of that. (not the starvation of kids btw)
right spoilery bit BUT it’s hidden from all you non-release me readers bc idk why u haven’t read this yet but u should!! ‼️
also, one bit I didn’t like was that he always describes her as petite and small but she can take on a big fight?? like love that but it’s kind of a cringey trope 😬 DW THO I STILL LOVE THEM
anyways I love love love this I cannot WAIT till the next one!! 💕💕 4.5 stars 🌟
pre-read
I AM SO READY 😭
OH AND THE COVER?? THE DESCRIPTION??
hooked hooked fucking hooked
i am not waiting till next year tahereh
im fr gonna crash out watch me was so scrumptious and release me will release my inner fan girl
👁️✨🌌💕
wow wow wow tahereh mafi has SURELY done it again. i don’t understand how she keeps cooking up these masterpieces in a year.
Here’s the question,” he says. “If J asked you to go to the moon for her, would you go to the moon?”
“Yes.”
“I never had a preference for blue eyes before I met him. I never knew I cared for freckles until I saw his face.”
My nerves are shot, I have to get going, and I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m tired of chasing you down and taking a bullet for it. …. Run for as long as you like. Shoot me as many times as you want. Try stabbing me again, it won’t matter.
getting into it, the world was just… chefs perfection? we had so much more world building from the ark to the waffle? (still have no idea what this is but okay!). i really loved how we just traveled through like 3 different areas of this world in two books, and some bits were a little overpowering as it was all being thrown in my head, BUT IT WAS SO GOOD!! i don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has this much world in it (im over exaggerating but im glazing tahereh 😻)
right I LOVE james as he is such a good character and has such a good backstory, i love the little mentions of the shatter me series because it brings me backkkk . but also Rosabelle?? SHE IS GENUINELY SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER and she brings so much to the book in terms of character relationships and climax/turning points. like DANGGG girl I haven’t seen another character like you in AGESSS.
oh and the fact we got a warner pov 😻😭 i am literally fangirling back to when i first read this series and im so happy he’s back. i was deadass running in circles 🏃 of excitement!! AND JULIETTE MY SHAYLA IS BACK
adam, kenji, nazeera: ITS SO NICE TO SEE THEM ALL AGAIN 😭😭😭
i love love love love love the backstory of the Ark, it’s so fascinating to see the characters interpretation and then rosabelles interpretation of her own world. but that girl has been through so much I think she genuinely needs therapy. back to the Ark!! it reminds me of the re-establishment in the og series and I lovedddd how we kept some aspects of that. (not the starvation of kids btw)
right spoilery bit BUT it’s hidden from all you non-release me readers bc idk why u haven’t read this yet but u should!! ‼️
also, one bit I didn’t like was that he always describes her as petite and small but she can take on a big fight?? like love that but it’s kind of a cringey trope 😬 DW THO I STILL LOVE THEM
anyways I love love love this I cannot WAIT till the next one!! 💕💕 4.5 stars 🌟
pre-read
I AM SO READY 😭
OH AND THE COVER?? THE DESCRIPTION??
hooked hooked fucking hooked
i am not waiting till next year tahereh
im fr gonna crash out watch me was so scrumptious and release me will release my inner fan girl
April 7, 2026
ᯓ★ 2.75 stars ✮⋆˙
ꨄ︎ And who the hell started that rumor that Juliette died during childbirth? come to the front. She didn’t even go into labor😭😭.
Anyways. What an abysmal book!!!
sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ The first book didn’t even have that much going on, but at least it was interesting. At least it was funny. At least it felt like something was happening. This one was straight up appalling. I’m genuinely disappointed because it felt like absolutely nothing went on.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ The plot just kept going in circles. Lack of communication, repeated tension, the same emotional beats over and over again like we’re stuck in some kind of narrative treadmill that refuses to switch off.
And fine, I tried to tell myself maybe this series is more character driven. Cool. I can work with that. But then even the characters started feeling redundant.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ It felt like Tahereh was trying so hard to be funny this time. And I get it (the first book was funny). It made me laugh. But in this book the humor felt so fucking forced.
⁀➴ Every conversation had to have a joke squeezed into it, and not even a good one. Just random, “haha quirky” interruptions that don’t land because they keep happening over and over and over again.
⁀➴ Like you’ll be in the middle of a serious conversation and suddenly it’s, “What happened to the chicken?” …what?
⁀➴ At first it’s random-funny. Then it becomes random-annoying. Then it becomes please stop.
Like damn when did everyone become such a jester?
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I actually liked James and Rosabelle at the beginning. James being a little delusional? Cute. Funny. It worked.
But by the end, he was doing entirely too much.
⁀➴ There is REAL stuff going on and this man is in his head like, “Oh my God, she kissed my chest,” while she’s literally explaining something important, and he’s busy thinking, “Wow, she looks good in my shirt.” Or about how he wants to marry her and all that dumb simp shit
Be serious.
⁀➴ It gets to a point where it stops being cute and starts being irritating. Now you just look like a braindead, lovesick idiot, a deluxe, upgraded version of a simp with extra foolishness🙄🙄🙄
⁀➴ And that’s what’s crazy, because James is always talking about needing to prove himself, needing to step up… then when it actually matters, he switches off completely.
⁀➴ I like James more than Warner and I hate to give Warner his 10’s but you’ll never catch that short hoe losing his trail of thought to the point of dumbness during a mission!
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And don’t even get me started on the structure. I can literally summarize the entire thing:
⁀➴ First part: tension, mistrust, conversations that go nowhere between James and the blonde whore
⁀➴ Middle part: James chases Rosabel → they talk → she hurts him → she runs → he chases her again → repeat. I swear this cycle went on for like seven chapters. I was like… are we serious right now?😭. What the freak
⁀➴ Then finally, they catch her. They bring her back. Warner, being such an emotionally stunted dud, lets her die for like three days. She wakes up, he makes an observation and sends her to Nazeera (who by the way there’s no progression with kenji!! Bland white couples get to stay together but my lovely Asian couple have to break up because of some annoying asf reason?? BTA)
⁀➴ Then James comes over and his whole personality is like, “Oh my God, she needs to eat.” I swear full sentences couldn’t be made because it was being interrupted by forced humor and James wanting Rosabelle to eat!!
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Which brings me to the infantilization of Rosabel, because what was that??
⁀➴“She’s so small and starved.” “She’s like a doll.” “I thought she was a child.” Her sleeping in his arms like a child would?
You see that thing when you have a newborn baby sleeping in your arms and any slight stir will make them react? And mumble and frown yk…allat shit. WORD FOR WORD THIS HAPPENED
⁀➴ Then James is cutting up her food into tiny pieces for her to eat??? That’s a grown woman the fuck. What is this disgusting shit
⁀➴ At that point I had to pause. Because what do you mean.
You lost the plot. Completely. Mafi
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And the pacing?? So awkward.
⁀➴ The progression felt disjointed. Things just… happened without weight. I didn’t even realize something serious was going on until it was already happening.
I was literally there like Why is the moon glitching??😵💫
⁀➴ Then suddenly at the end fuckass Sebastian shows up with some I’m here for my fiancée
End.
⁀➴ I’m sorry how is that supposed to land?? How is that important enough to close the book on?? Why the fuck did we wait one year for this absolute shite
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Yes, we get a bit more about the vial but even that felt like crumbs thrown in the kitchen and we’re supposed to be satisfied.
I’m not.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I really didn’t expect to like the first book, but I did. This one? I thought I would enjoy it, and I genuinely didn’t.
No flowers for you, Tahereh.
· · ─ ·𖥸· ─· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ─ ·𖥸· ─· · ─ ·𖥸· ─
╭──────────.★..─╮
Pre-read
╰─..★.──────────╯
Call me a hater but you’re telling me we had the chance to get a Kenji POV because of his relationship issues but instead we get a Washed out Warner’s POV?
Hop off his dick Mafi😔
ꨄ︎ And who the hell started that rumor that Juliette died during childbirth? come to the front. She didn’t even go into labor😭😭.
Anyways. What an abysmal book!!!
sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ The first book didn’t even have that much going on, but at least it was interesting. At least it was funny. At least it felt like something was happening. This one was straight up appalling. I’m genuinely disappointed because it felt like absolutely nothing went on.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ The plot just kept going in circles. Lack of communication, repeated tension, the same emotional beats over and over again like we’re stuck in some kind of narrative treadmill that refuses to switch off.
And fine, I tried to tell myself maybe this series is more character driven. Cool. I can work with that. But then even the characters started feeling redundant.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ It felt like Tahereh was trying so hard to be funny this time. And I get it (the first book was funny). It made me laugh. But in this book the humor felt so fucking forced.
⁀➴ Every conversation had to have a joke squeezed into it, and not even a good one. Just random, “haha quirky” interruptions that don’t land because they keep happening over and over and over again.
⁀➴ Like you’ll be in the middle of a serious conversation and suddenly it’s, “What happened to the chicken?” …what?
⁀➴ At first it’s random-funny. Then it becomes random-annoying. Then it becomes please stop.
Like damn when did everyone become such a jester?
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I actually liked James and Rosabelle at the beginning. James being a little delusional? Cute. Funny. It worked.
But by the end, he was doing entirely too much.
⁀➴ There is REAL stuff going on and this man is in his head like, “Oh my God, she kissed my chest,” while she’s literally explaining something important, and he’s busy thinking, “Wow, she looks good in my shirt.” Or about how he wants to marry her and all that dumb simp shit
Be serious.
⁀➴ It gets to a point where it stops being cute and starts being irritating. Now you just look like a braindead, lovesick idiot, a deluxe, upgraded version of a simp with extra foolishness🙄🙄🙄
⁀➴ And that’s what’s crazy, because James is always talking about needing to prove himself, needing to step up… then when it actually matters, he switches off completely.
⁀➴ I like James more than Warner and I hate to give Warner his 10’s but you’ll never catch that short hoe losing his trail of thought to the point of dumbness during a mission!
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And don’t even get me started on the structure. I can literally summarize the entire thing:
⁀➴ First part: tension, mistrust, conversations that go nowhere between James and the blonde whore
⁀➴ Middle part: James chases Rosabel → they talk → she hurts him → she runs → he chases her again → repeat. I swear this cycle went on for like seven chapters. I was like… are we serious right now?😭. What the freak
⁀➴ Then finally, they catch her. They bring her back. Warner, being such an emotionally stunted dud, lets her die for like three days. She wakes up, he makes an observation and sends her to Nazeera (who by the way there’s no progression with kenji!! Bland white couples get to stay together but my lovely Asian couple have to break up because of some annoying asf reason?? BTA)
⁀➴ Then James comes over and his whole personality is like, “Oh my God, she needs to eat.” I swear full sentences couldn’t be made because it was being interrupted by forced humor and James wanting Rosabelle to eat!!
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Which brings me to the infantilization of Rosabel, because what was that??
⁀➴“She’s so small and starved.” “She’s like a doll.” “I thought she was a child.” Her sleeping in his arms like a child would?
You see that thing when you have a newborn baby sleeping in your arms and any slight stir will make them react? And mumble and frown yk…allat shit. WORD FOR WORD THIS HAPPENED
⁀➴ Then James is cutting up her food into tiny pieces for her to eat??? That’s a grown woman the fuck. What is this disgusting shit
⁀➴ At that point I had to pause. Because what do you mean.
You lost the plot. Completely. Mafi
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ And the pacing?? So awkward.
⁀➴ The progression felt disjointed. Things just… happened without weight. I didn’t even realize something serious was going on until it was already happening.
I was literally there like Why is the moon glitching??😵💫
⁀➴ Then suddenly at the end fuckass Sebastian shows up with some I’m here for my fiancée
End.
⁀➴ I’m sorry how is that supposed to land?? How is that important enough to close the book on?? Why the fuck did we wait one year for this absolute shite
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Yes, we get a bit more about the vial but even that felt like crumbs thrown in the kitchen and we’re supposed to be satisfied.
I’m not.
·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ I really didn’t expect to like the first book, but I did. This one? I thought I would enjoy it, and I genuinely didn’t.
No flowers for you, Tahereh.
· · ─ ·𖥸· ─· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ─ ·𖥸· ─· · ─ ·𖥸· ─
╭──────────.★..─╮
Pre-read
╰─..★.──────────╯
Call me a hater but you’re telling me we had the chance to get a Kenji POV because of his relationship issues but instead we get a Washed out Warner’s POV?
Hop off his dick Mafi😔
April 12, 2026
i must be a coke addict because these characters might as well be cocaine
Want to Read
August 21, 2025Rosabelle Wolff had a plan.
James Anderson had a plan.
Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache.
LMAO
At least Miss Mafi is giving us Aaron's pov after ditching us in Imagine Me😍😍😍
I AM SOOOOO ECSTATICCCCCCCC!!!!!!
I WANT THIS BOOK. NOWWWW!
And the coverrrr???😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
James Anderson had a plan.
Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache.
LMAO
At least Miss Mafi is giving us Aaron's pov after ditching us in Imagine Me😍😍😍
I AM SOOOOO ECSTATICCCCCCCC!!!!!!
I WANT THIS BOOK. NOWWWW!
And the coverrrr???😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
![Profile Image for mia ౨ৎ [semi ia] (seeing bts!!!!).](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1774729092i/175076399._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
Want to Read
August 20, 2025pre release:
WARNERS POV?!!!! YOU ARE FREAKING KIDDING ME! THIS BOOK IS GOING TO EATTTT
WARNERS POV?!!!! YOU ARE FREAKING KIDDING ME! THIS BOOK IS GOING TO EATTTT
April 9, 2026
I never thought I would be rating a Shatter Me book after the first one 3 stars but damn, here we are.
Between Release Me and Every Spiral of Fate, I truly don’t know what Tahereh Mafi is doing. It’s like she heard that she is the absolute queen of writing yearning between her MCs and it went to her head. She’s totally lost the thread of what makes yearning so good, and it’s the development of the relationship around it. And also, it’s a book. There still needs to be an actual PLOT.
This book, just like Every Spiral of Fate, just spins and spins and spins. Like a car stuck on ice, Mafi’s MCs can’t seem to advance past their pattern of I-trust-you-but-oh-no-you-aren’t-trustworthy. It gets OLD.
There is also a complete and total devolution of James’ character in this book. In Watch Me, he comes off as a bit naive and trying to prove himself, but this time around many of his decisions are flat out stupid. Warner is endlessly frustrated with him and honestly so was I. I was completely with Warner, these decisions make no damn sense, and the insta-love was beyond annoying.
And on to that point, the insta-love. Maybe it doesn’t APPEAR that way, because it’s been two books, but it absolutely is. Still, after two books, Rosabelle is lacking in any clear personality outside of “I kill people to survive”. So, how is it possible that James has feelings for her? This is in direct opposition to the relationship between Juliette/Ella and Warner that was culminating their entire lives and the relationship in This Woven Kingdom where Cyrus has been secretly manipulated by outside forces to develop his feelings over months and months.
This is book 8, not counting the novellas, so of course I’m going to keep reading. And the banter in this book is absolutely next level, once again the original characters and their interactions are top notch. But I’m so disappointed that this book was a hard step down from Watch Me. I hope this isn’t a trend for Mafi and she pulls it together for her next few books.
Between Release Me and Every Spiral of Fate, I truly don’t know what Tahereh Mafi is doing. It’s like she heard that she is the absolute queen of writing yearning between her MCs and it went to her head. She’s totally lost the thread of what makes yearning so good, and it’s the development of the relationship around it. And also, it’s a book. There still needs to be an actual PLOT.
This book, just like Every Spiral of Fate, just spins and spins and spins. Like a car stuck on ice, Mafi’s MCs can’t seem to advance past their pattern of I-trust-you-but-oh-no-you-aren’t-trustworthy. It gets OLD.
There is also a complete and total devolution of James’ character in this book. In Watch Me, he comes off as a bit naive and trying to prove himself, but this time around many of his decisions are flat out stupid. Warner is endlessly frustrated with him and honestly so was I. I was completely with Warner, these decisions make no damn sense, and the insta-love was beyond annoying.
And on to that point, the insta-love. Maybe it doesn’t APPEAR that way, because it’s been two books, but it absolutely is. Still, after two books, Rosabelle is lacking in any clear personality outside of “I kill people to survive”. So, how is it possible that James has feelings for her? This is in direct opposition to the relationship between Juliette/Ella and Warner that was culminating their entire lives and the relationship in This Woven Kingdom where Cyrus has been secretly manipulated by outside forces to develop his feelings over months and months.
This is book 8, not counting the novellas, so of course I’m going to keep reading. And the banter in this book is absolutely next level, once again the original characters and their interactions are top notch. But I’m so disappointed that this book was a hard step down from Watch Me. I hope this isn’t a trend for Mafi and she pulls it together for her next few books.
Want to Read
April 8, 2026STOP EVERYTHING.
AARON WARNER’S POV???
IS THIS REAL LIFE?????
i'm about to claw the drywall, eat glass, and ascend- HOLY SHIT THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE DILF TO END ALL DILFS IS ABOUT TO SPEAK AND I HAVE TO WAIT TILL APIRL 2026????
no one talk to me until this is in my hands.
--------------
Rosabelle Wolff had a plan.
James Anderson had a plan.
Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache.
lmfao thats so aaron coded.
--------------
that cover is insanely gorgeous 😍
AARON WARNER’S POV???
IS THIS REAL LIFE?????
i'm about to claw the drywall, eat glass, and ascend- HOLY SHIT THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE DILF TO END ALL DILFS IS ABOUT TO SPEAK AND I HAVE TO WAIT TILL APIRL 2026????
no one talk to me until this is in my hands.
--------------
Rosabelle Wolff had a plan.
James Anderson had a plan.
Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache.
lmfao thats so aaron coded.
--------------
that cover is insanely gorgeous 😍
April 17, 2026
𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖3.75 🌟
Mixed feelings rn.
Hear me out yall , this one was good yet it wasn't.
It was so funny , very bantery with a lot of yk tension between James and Rosabelle , hell we even got to see Daddy Warner, Kenji and Nazeerah and all the other characters from shatter me here .🤭
BUT when it comes to the plot it just made no sense like it didn't move an inch from where it was left in the first book Rosabella captured and meeting the whole Shatter me crew . Sure it was funny and cute but something was missing , we had the character development and some world building , we got to know what happened to the Shatter me characters but what of the plot ? Nothing nada.
The plot was just one big messy situation , like I don't know it just made no sense and gave me the worst headache , even the characters felt like lost idek .
⤿𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵; 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.
One thing that annoyed me about this was how childish and indecisive were James and Rosabelle , man doesn't even know what he wants , but I still love my baby James, and that reaction whenever he hears someone crying ? I want to hug him 🫂
Rosabelle , eh the cold hearted assassin. Dunno I just couldn't relate to her , as I said before she is so so so indecisive, even worse than James , like one second she is hurting him and trying to kill him the next she js threatening anyone who tries to kill me and swears that she would due for him eh? Girlie please stop dragging my bae 🙏
Now let's talk about how we got daddy Warner 🤭.
That man , I love love love loveeeeee him so freaking much , I think the word "love" was invented to be said by him and only him , i would be in my knees for him like literally and figuratively. That man loves his wife aka Juliette so freaking much and ughhhhh I want a man like him who is that careful and worships me and calls me love 😭😩
⤿"If Ella isn't with me , then am in the wrong place" HQHQQGQGGQ MY MANN
Kenji is so funny I love him , he is the heart of the whole crew and god I don't think I will get enough of him , but WE WERE ROBBED AGAIN.
When the fuck is Mafi going to stop torturing us and finally give us Kenji and Nazeerah , just please how may fucking books before they get together , this book was so hwhwhwhw because not Kenji avoiding Nazeerah and her feeling so bad for that 😭
⤿"I didn't want you to remove it! I loved that tree!"
In a distinctly un-Warner move, he finally raises his voice, nearly shouting when he says, "Then why was I the only one who ever watered it?"
Kenji's mouth gapes open a moment, then closes. Then opens again.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"
Warner exhales slowly, looking like he might be working his way through an aneurysm.
"Kenji," he says slowly, like he's talking to a full-time idiot. "Did you think the tree was growing magically, all by itself?"
Kenji hesitates, like he knows he's about to give the wrong answer, and gives it anyway. "I mean, it's a tree," he says. "Trees just grow. Like, on the planet. People don't need to go around watering them." what I said lol
---
⤿ Pre-Read : ۶ৎ
Daddy Warner here I come 🙈🤭
No but really , book one was okay , hoping this one exceeds my expectations 🙏
---
WHAT DO YOU MEAN ? ARE WE FINALLY GETTING DADDYS AARON POV😩😩😩
aahsgwgagh jumping screaming and kicking my legs right now , and Iwant NEED that cover in my shelves 🤭
Mixed feelings rn.
Hear me out yall , this one was good yet it wasn't.
It was so funny , very bantery with a lot of yk tension between James and Rosabelle , hell we even got to see Daddy Warner, Kenji and Nazeerah and all the other characters from shatter me here .🤭
BUT when it comes to the plot it just made no sense like it didn't move an inch from where it was left in the first book Rosabella captured and meeting the whole Shatter me crew . Sure it was funny and cute but something was missing , we had the character development and some world building , we got to know what happened to the Shatter me characters but what of the plot ? Nothing nada.
The plot was just one big messy situation , like I don't know it just made no sense and gave me the worst headache , even the characters felt like lost idek .
⤿𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵; 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.
One thing that annoyed me about this was how childish and indecisive were James and Rosabelle , man doesn't even know what he wants , but I still love my baby James, and that reaction whenever he hears someone crying ? I want to hug him 🫂
Rosabelle , eh the cold hearted assassin. Dunno I just couldn't relate to her , as I said before she is so so so indecisive, even worse than James , like one second she is hurting him and trying to kill him the next she js threatening anyone who tries to kill me and swears that she would due for him eh? Girlie please stop dragging my bae 🙏
Now let's talk about how we got daddy Warner 🤭.
That man , I love love love loveeeeee him so freaking much , I think the word "love" was invented to be said by him and only him , i would be in my knees for him like literally and figuratively. That man loves his wife aka Juliette so freaking much and ughhhhh I want a man like him who is that careful and worships me and calls me love 😭😩
⤿"If Ella isn't with me , then am in the wrong place" HQHQQGQGGQ MY MANN
Kenji is so funny I love him , he is the heart of the whole crew and god I don't think I will get enough of him , but WE WERE ROBBED AGAIN.
When the fuck is Mafi going to stop torturing us and finally give us Kenji and Nazeerah , just please how may fucking books before they get together , this book was so hwhwhwhw because not Kenji avoiding Nazeerah and her feeling so bad for that 😭
⤿"I didn't want you to remove it! I loved that tree!"
In a distinctly un-Warner move, he finally raises his voice, nearly shouting when he says, "Then why was I the only one who ever watered it?"
Kenji's mouth gapes open a moment, then closes. Then opens again.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"
Warner exhales slowly, looking like he might be working his way through an aneurysm.
"Kenji," he says slowly, like he's talking to a full-time idiot. "Did you think the tree was growing magically, all by itself?"
Kenji hesitates, like he knows he's about to give the wrong answer, and gives it anyway. "I mean, it's a tree," he says. "Trees just grow. Like, on the planet. People don't need to go around watering them." what I said lol
---
⤿ Pre-Read : ۶ৎ
Daddy Warner here I come 🙈🤭
No but really , book one was okay , hoping this one exceeds my expectations 🙏
---
WHAT DO YOU MEAN ? ARE WE FINALLY GETTING DADDYS AARON POV😩😩😩
aahsgwgagh jumping screaming and kicking my legs right now , and I
April 19, 2026
𐔌 . ⋮ reading summary .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
▸⋮ ⌗ read ┆apr 17 - apr 17 (2026)
▸⊱ ۫ ׅ rating: 4.75 ✧˖°
▸ spoiler free review
𐔌 . my incohesive jumble of thoughts.ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
warning: written while delirious with sleep deprivation & high on the ending of this book. proceed with caution.
mafi oh mafi- how you disarm me. how you manage to break me down and build me up with a few effortless strokes of your pen. just how do you do it? i fear i might never know, but let it be known that by your books shall be my final resting place once this life has passed me by.
i always seem to end up here.
how do i begin to describe my all encompassing adoration for these characters, these words? Shatter Me has always given me what few books have, and i never feel more at home than when i am buried deep within the folds of these pages.
aaron, my love, this world doesn't deserve your anguish.
juliette, sweetheart, you're too sweet for this impure world.
kenji, your humour will never not put a smile on my face.
nazeera, babe, you is me and i is you.
rosabelle and james, james and rosabelle; a love so forbidden yet hauntingly sweet, so engulfing it has me in a chokehold. here, folks, is the true successor to the legacy laid by those before them, and while juliette and warner will forever carry the crown, their brother is doing a mighty fine job of bringing me to my knees.
james, a true juxtaposition of the men that raised him; this guy is genuinely kenji stuck in aaron's body.
and yet, i cannot help but see undeniable traces of both juliette and warner in sweet rosabelle, too. oh, sweet rosabelle, how sorry i am for ever doubting you. i fear i might give you my heart on a silver platter, should you ask for it.
throughout this read, my heart would not cease its incessant beating. i felt like i was being hunted and chased, running for my very life, shot in every organ and unable to stop from drowning in it all.
i have laughed. i have screamed. i have clutched my hair and fallen into endless tears. i cannot express my gratitude to mafi for granting me reprieve in this world again, for blessing me with these people and their ridiculous jokes, their love, their banter, and their unyielding resilience. i cannot articulate all my love, so it shall suffice to simply state-
i am home.
𐔌 . quotes .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
AARON MY HEART YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME.
kenji, i fear nothing compares to you.
#warnette
#needmeamanlikehim
james & kenji's interactions have me in fucking tears.
more tears.
OH WE ARE SO BACK.
LMAO.
bless kenji, honestly.
love me a down bad james.
also, i'm convinced the lemon tree scene is a reference to alatltg.
mwah xx.
-->
i think i just died a little.
rtc
-->
why do we, as a fandom, collectively look past the fact that this is a whole-ass book and not just a few crumbs of warnette (albeit larger, chapter sized, aaron warner pov:d crumbs☺️☺️☺️)
this better deliver, mafiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, or else.
i'm in your walls 👀
▸⋮ ⌗ read ┆apr 17 - apr 17 (2026)
▸⊱ ۫ ׅ rating: 4.75 ✧˖°
▸ spoiler free review
𐔌 . my incohesive jumble of thoughts.ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
warning: written while delirious with sleep deprivation & high on the ending of this book. proceed with caution.
mafi oh mafi- how you disarm me. how you manage to break me down and build me up with a few effortless strokes of your pen. just how do you do it? i fear i might never know, but let it be known that by your books shall be my final resting place once this life has passed me by.
i always seem to end up here.
how do i begin to describe my all encompassing adoration for these characters, these words? Shatter Me has always given me what few books have, and i never feel more at home than when i am buried deep within the folds of these pages.
aaron, my love, this world doesn't deserve your anguish.
juliette, sweetheart, you're too sweet for this impure world.
kenji, your humour will never not put a smile on my face.
nazeera, babe, you is me and i is you.
rosabelle and james, james and rosabelle; a love so forbidden yet hauntingly sweet, so engulfing it has me in a chokehold. here, folks, is the true successor to the legacy laid by those before them, and while juliette and warner will forever carry the crown, their brother is doing a mighty fine job of bringing me to my knees.
james, a true juxtaposition of the men that raised him; this guy is genuinely kenji stuck in aaron's body.
and yet, i cannot help but see undeniable traces of both juliette and warner in sweet rosabelle, too. oh, sweet rosabelle, how sorry i am for ever doubting you. i fear i might give you my heart on a silver platter, should you ask for it.
throughout this read, my heart would not cease its incessant beating. i felt like i was being hunted and chased, running for my very life, shot in every organ and unable to stop from drowning in it all.
i have laughed. i have screamed. i have clutched my hair and fallen into endless tears. i cannot express my gratitude to mafi for granting me reprieve in this world again, for blessing me with these people and their ridiculous jokes, their love, their banter, and their unyielding resilience. i cannot articulate all my love, so it shall suffice to simply state-
i am home.
𐔌 . quotes .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
⤷ ゛Bro, I think James is on his period. ˎˊ˗
⤷ ゛I close my eyes. Open them.
I miss my wife.
I want to go home. ˎˊ˗
AARON MY HEART YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME.
⤷ ゛Worms turn garbage into compost. Worms do more for the world than you do. Worms just eat dirt and mind their business. Worms need a better marketing campaign. ˎˊ˗
kenji, i fear nothing compares to you.
⤷ ゛Her skin against my skin works like an opiate. ˎˊ˗
#warnette
⤷ ゛"Aaron?" she whispers again.
My eyes flutter against her neck. I'm half dreaming even as I press a kiss to her skin. "Yes, love?" I murmur.ˎˊ˗
#needmeamanlikehim
⤷ ゛In a stunning reversal, I've managed to unite everyone against me in his favor. Warner's never been so unanimously supported in anything. Ever. ˎˊ˗
⤷ ゛I shake my head, my mood darkening further. "Whatever."
"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?" he says, stomping toward me. "Is this some kind of delayed puberty? Are you about to grow your first chest hair?" ˎˊ˗
james & kenji's interactions have me in fucking tears.
⤷ ゛"I think you doth protest a bit too much, bro."
I hesitate, take a step back. "What?"
"What?" he says defensively.
"Are you quoting Hamlet at me right now?"
"Fuck you, I like Shakespeare." ˎˊ˗
more tears.
⤷ ゛"Foul language is a cheap feast for an underfed mind." ˎˊ˗
OH WE ARE SO BACK.
⤷ ゛"A vote?" Warner frowns. "When have I ever given you the impression that this was a democracy?"
"About ten years ago?" Kenji says, without missing a beat. "Remember? We did the whole revolution? You were there. You were all, Ew, fascists-" ˎˊ˗
LMAO.
⤷ ゛Apparently, what I'm really looking for is a girl who threatens to murder my enemies.
Rosabelle has set the bar too fucking high. ˎˊ˗
⤷ ゛"We're all a bunch of traumatised weirdos with murderous daddy issues. Kenji exempted, of course."
"Weirdos?" Warner echoes, insulted.
"Daddy issues?" Nazeera pulls a face.
"Thank you," Kenji says, pointing at me. "My parents were awesome, unlike the rest of you losers."
Juliette's eyes widen. "Kenji."
"What?" he says, crossing his arms. "I'm not naming names or anything, but some of you were never hugged as children and it shows."ˎˊ˗
bless kenji, honestly.
⤷ ゛Rosabelle will go down fighting with her last breath, and I can't help but respect her for it. That's the kind of girl who shows up, holds the line, keeps her promises guards your secrets, destroys your enemies. That's the kind of girls i want to go into battle with.ˎˊ˗
⤷ ゛"Obviously, I can't leave these two alone." She gestures in my direction. "If we're gone for too long James will probably try to marry her, and she'll probably kill him for trying. We'll have to scrape his body of the asphalt." ˎˊ˗
love me a down bad james.
⤷ ゛She could probably ask me for anything right now. Fuck a jacket, I'd give her an organ. Any organ. She can pick the organ. ˎˊ˗
also, i'm convinced the lemon tree scene is a reference to alatltg.
mwah xx.
-->
i think i just died a little.
rtc
-->
why do we, as a fandom, collectively look past the fact that this is a whole-ass book and not just a few crumbs of warnette (albeit larger, chapter sized, aaron warner pov:d crumbs☺️☺️☺️)
this better deliver, mafiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, or else.
i'm in your walls 👀
April 11, 2026
Just like the first book, Kenji and Warner CARRIED. Rosabelle and James are so confusing… Like, what’s the point? The plot is basically non-existent. BUT reading a new book about these characters is like coming home again so what do you expect from me?!
Want to Read
August 21, 2025oh im so ready to hate read this 🥹
April 18, 2026
3.5 stars RTC cuz, boy I sure do have a lot of things to say
(REVIEW NOT COMPLETED, IS FULL OF SPOILERS AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS)
WHO THE HELL STARTED THE RUMOR THAT JULIETTE WILL DIE IN THS ONE DURING THE CHILDBIRTH BECAUSE GIRLIE WAS BARELY IN THE BOOK AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN GO INTO THE LABOR.
okay, let me start by saying that everyone was fighting in this book and not listening to james and it irritated tf outta me. why weren't any of the of gang willing to listen to him. they all were teenagers as well when they revolted against thr reestablishment 10 years back. guy was in love so what? his opinion doesn't matter? adam and kenji themselves agreed that it was warner and juliette all over again ffs. because you can't tell me rosa and warner are not the same person. both are psychopathic killers. and before you come at me for the fact that rosa is a spy and blah blah, warner could have been a spy easily for reestablishment but they trusted him because juliette said so. so, why is it difficult for everyone to trust james when he defends rosa. i get it rosa has shot so many people in this boon alone but she is all doing this for her sister and she realises that people at ark are bad bad and she is the only one who can defeat them. well, but people hated adam for protecting his little brother james in the shatter me so, I have no hopes that they will give rosa a chance anytime soon. and tbh if rosa speak about the surveillance and how things work at ark, maybe everyone will understand but as we all know they like to tangle themselves in other people messes so, they def will interfere with rosa's plan of destroying the ark herself and rosa doesn't want that. she has said that again and again. she wants to bubble wrap james and protect him and all the loud and obnoxious people as well. everyone constantly hating on rosa got on my nerves bad. why tf can someone handle a complex female character. why does only the mmc with "oh so tragic" past gets the leeway and not the fmcs like rosa??
the constant fighting in the starting chapters shape the book in bad lighting for me. the first chapter of warner irrited me to no end. i get it he is fashion diva but him being that irritated over the fact that adam might be wearing a wrong shoe size was the line for me. and the fight was stupid af. warner literally gave no chance to james to explain his case. there were only shouting matches between these two. and wtf was wrong with kenji and james. there endless jabbing eachother was even worse than james and warner. warner has always been on his high horse but making kenji lashing out like this felt like out of character for him. the only time i remember kenji not being in control of his emotions was when he berated adam for what he said to juliette in ignite me.
I would have adored kenji's chapters a lot in this one and if Tahereh wasn't riding on Warner’s dick then, we would have his chapters only (from whay I have heard). and you know what, I loved how it is not just constant on and off dor kenji and nazeera?? because we got to know a little more about their issue. we all knew nazeera is someone who doesn't show her emotions well and kenji is out there with his emotions and feelings out on his sleeves. that man deserves someone who loves him as fiercely and as openly as he loves. nazeera really needs to up her game and give what kenji deserves because these two are perfect for eachother.
this book was heavy on banter and fighting because hello, I did not see a plot and I hate it when the whole book takes place in around 10 days only because wtf I waited a year for this book and you gave me a week of the character's life only?? the pacing is very bad. and the fact that this is second gen series but is not focusing on james and rosa but the og gang is something I am not vibing with. holly black remained very true to oak and wren's story when she wrote the stolen heir duology even though I was among the one who was begging for jurdan's crumbs. that story might be a little over the place but so is this one and it is banking only on the love for shatter me gang and not any substantial plot because Tahereh refuses to give us one. I am among the few who liked rosa's chapters. yes, they were full on inner monologue but so were juliette's and I do not see you all complaining about it.
the only grace this book had for me beside warner and kenji's bromance were rosa and James’s interactions!!! i loved loved loved their scenes together. how these two are down bad for eachother. james with his goofy golden retriever energy and rosa with her black cat energy were giving me everything. the constant yearning and pang of denial of feelings was everhthing to me. their scenes were full of emotions and constant need to protect each other. james did not get a chance to talk to rosa alone and that was literally what he wanted from her the whole book TO TALK. If only warner, kenji, adam, nazeera and every fucking one did not have their brains up their asses then they would have seen that rosa is only willing to talk to james and she does not lie to him.
chapter 33 had me gagged, bound and whatnot because holy hell, james and rosa are gonna out freak warnette for a YA series. it had me screaming, throwing up, giggling, kicking my feet in the air and everything out there when a girl has butterflies swarming in her stomach.
warner and kenji's scene gave me so much joy. they have come a long way from "he cut mt hair very bad from the bonding session moment and I want to kill him". the stupid fighting over the lemon tree and dumplings is something I need more of in later books.
~~~
“I will not shut up. You think I don’t know what it’s like to be this pathetic? I am this pathetic."
“Didn’t Nazeera try to kill you once?”
“That was an accident! And she only did it because she liked me,” he adds, his voice quieting. “Damn. She used to like me.”
“Listen to me,” I say, finally losing control. I grab a fistful of his shirt and yank him closer, my voice nearly shaking with fury. “If these soldiers matter to you, leave. If you want to spare their lives, leave. I’m trying—I’m really trying to be a better person, but if even one of them hurts you I swear I’ll slaughter them all.”
“Really?” he says, his jaw tensing. “This is the first girl you decide to bring home to your family?”
Warner animates with movement so fluid I don’t even see him reach for a gun before he shoots James in the leg.
“Look, James, the truth is, he deserves better than me.”
"Hey.” Warner goes after him. “That’s my wife—”
Kenji turns back, his eyes widening in surprise. “What? Really? When did you get married?”
Warner shoves past him with a glare, his voice muffling as he heads up the stairwell. “I’m going to tell her what you did—”
“Me?” he says, staring at Warner’s back in outrage. “You’re the one who killed my tree!”
“Falling in love feels a little like dying,” she finally says. “No one really tells you that.”
“You really think you can date this girl?” she asks, giving me a hard look. “You think someone like her even knows how to be in a relationship? A girl like that doesn’t even know how to relax. She walks into a room and immediately identifies the exits before deciding which everyday objects might double as weapons—”
“That’s called being creative—”
“—she’s not meeting strangers and wondering what they like to do in their spare time; she meets new people and assesses their strengths and weaknesses in order to determine the best way to kill them—”
“She’s just a planner. She likes to plan ahead—”
“You think it would ever occur to her to do something for fun, or buy you a present on your birthday, or express her feelings without fear?”
I’ve been watched by infinite eyes all my life, but no one has ever looked at me and made me feel safe.
No one but him.
I understand then that I would kill for him without question. I would die for him without hesitation.
He lives, or no one lives.
I will protect him with my life.
I realize, as I look at her, that I might be willing to give up a piece of my soul for the chance to kiss her.
She’s so beautiful it’s actually a little hard on my brain. The first time I saw her I glitched so hard I convinced myself she wasn’t even human.
I can’t process the sight of her like this, in stillness.
She looks like if a flower were a person. Like if clouds were a person. Like if a person was made of cake.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
I don’t care if the world burns to the fucking ground, Rosabelle. You’re going to eat first.”
It occurs to me, once again, that I don’t want these soft, loud, messy people to die.
Standing next to James, he presents more like distant relatives.
His jaw drops open. “You dirty, filthy liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Let me see your pager.”
“No.”
“Hand it over.”
“No.”
“I will reach right into your pocket, bro; I am not afraid of you—”
He almost laughs. “You didn’t realize? One way or another, I walk away from you bleeding. You’ve given me more scars than anyone I’ve ever met.”
I can still taste her on my tongue. I can still feel her mouth on my skin. I tug blindly at the hem of my shirt, checking to make sure I’m decent. I’m grateful it’s dark in here. There’s nothing I can do about these pants.
She kissed my chest.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
The smile fades from my face. Need knifes through me.
“I just want to be clear,” he says, his voice tight. “That if we were up against anything less than a global threat right now, I’d be trying to figure out how to finish what we started in that diner.”
We lock eyes for a breathless moment.
“You kissed my chest,” he says finally.
“Your heart,” I whisper.
This answer seems to surprise him. “My heart?”
“Yes.”
“We have to split up.”
Kenji ducks down beside me as I say this, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. He wipes at his face with the hem of his shirt, breathing hard. “Just like that? No romance, no poetry? You’re just breaking up with me?”
~~~~~~
Tahereh better treat adam right in this one🤨
~~~~
okay, I have the book but I am reading two books at the moment and I REALLY REALLY don't have time to give everything to this book and I know that I will not put this book down when I will pick it up and ahhhh, it is so hard to not just dive right into this book. I am really enjoying one of my CR. I hate that I don't have time to read this book😭😭😭😭SEND HELP
~~~~
excuse me, but I just heard juliette might die during the childbirth?? what the actual fuck?? I might give shatter me series 3 stars at best now but I still hold all of them dear to my heart. I am so baffled right now wtf (it has to be a pr strategy but still who does that?)😭😭
~~~~~
Ahhhhhh, I have to wait a year for this😭😭😭
(REVIEW NOT COMPLETED, IS FULL OF SPOILERS AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS)
WHO THE HELL STARTED THE RUMOR THAT JULIETTE WILL DIE IN THS ONE DURING THE CHILDBIRTH BECAUSE GIRLIE WAS BARELY IN THE BOOK AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN GO INTO THE LABOR.
okay, let me start by saying that everyone was fighting in this book and not listening to james and it irritated tf outta me. why weren't any of the of gang willing to listen to him. they all were teenagers as well when they revolted against thr reestablishment 10 years back. guy was in love so what? his opinion doesn't matter? adam and kenji themselves agreed that it was warner and juliette all over again ffs. because you can't tell me rosa and warner are not the same person. both are psychopathic killers. and before you come at me for the fact that rosa is a spy and blah blah, warner could have been a spy easily for reestablishment but they trusted him because juliette said so. so, why is it difficult for everyone to trust james when he defends rosa. i get it rosa has shot so many people in this boon alone but she is all doing this for her sister and she realises that people at ark are bad bad and she is the only one who can defeat them. well, but people hated adam for protecting his little brother james in the shatter me so, I have no hopes that they will give rosa a chance anytime soon. and tbh if rosa speak about the surveillance and how things work at ark, maybe everyone will understand but as we all know they like to tangle themselves in other people messes so, they def will interfere with rosa's plan of destroying the ark herself and rosa doesn't want that. she has said that again and again. she wants to bubble wrap james and protect him and all the loud and obnoxious people as well. everyone constantly hating on rosa got on my nerves bad. why tf can someone handle a complex female character. why does only the mmc with "oh so tragic" past gets the leeway and not the fmcs like rosa??
the constant fighting in the starting chapters shape the book in bad lighting for me. the first chapter of warner irrited me to no end. i get it he is fashion diva but him being that irritated over the fact that adam might be wearing a wrong shoe size was the line for me. and the fight was stupid af. warner literally gave no chance to james to explain his case. there were only shouting matches between these two. and wtf was wrong with kenji and james. there endless jabbing eachother was even worse than james and warner. warner has always been on his high horse but making kenji lashing out like this felt like out of character for him. the only time i remember kenji not being in control of his emotions was when he berated adam for what he said to juliette in ignite me.
I would have adored kenji's chapters a lot in this one and if Tahereh wasn't riding on Warner’s dick then, we would have his chapters only (from whay I have heard). and you know what, I loved how it is not just constant on and off dor kenji and nazeera?? because we got to know a little more about their issue. we all knew nazeera is someone who doesn't show her emotions well and kenji is out there with his emotions and feelings out on his sleeves. that man deserves someone who loves him as fiercely and as openly as he loves. nazeera really needs to up her game and give what kenji deserves because these two are perfect for eachother.
this book was heavy on banter and fighting because hello, I did not see a plot and I hate it when the whole book takes place in around 10 days only because wtf I waited a year for this book and you gave me a week of the character's life only?? the pacing is very bad. and the fact that this is second gen series but is not focusing on james and rosa but the og gang is something I am not vibing with. holly black remained very true to oak and wren's story when she wrote the stolen heir duology even though I was among the one who was begging for jurdan's crumbs. that story might be a little over the place but so is this one and it is banking only on the love for shatter me gang and not any substantial plot because Tahereh refuses to give us one. I am among the few who liked rosa's chapters. yes, they were full on inner monologue but so were juliette's and I do not see you all complaining about it.
the only grace this book had for me beside warner and kenji's bromance were rosa and James’s interactions!!! i loved loved loved their scenes together. how these two are down bad for eachother. james with his goofy golden retriever energy and rosa with her black cat energy were giving me everything. the constant yearning and pang of denial of feelings was everhthing to me. their scenes were full of emotions and constant need to protect each other. james did not get a chance to talk to rosa alone and that was literally what he wanted from her the whole book TO TALK. If only warner, kenji, adam, nazeera and every fucking one did not have their brains up their asses then they would have seen that rosa is only willing to talk to james and she does not lie to him.
chapter 33 had me gagged, bound and whatnot because holy hell, james and rosa are gonna out freak warnette for a YA series. it had me screaming, throwing up, giggling, kicking my feet in the air and everything out there when a girl has butterflies swarming in her stomach.
warner and kenji's scene gave me so much joy. they have come a long way from "he cut mt hair very bad from the bonding session moment and I want to kill him". the stupid fighting over the lemon tree and dumplings is something I need more of in later books.
~~~
“I will not shut up. You think I don’t know what it’s like to be this pathetic? I am this pathetic."
“Didn’t Nazeera try to kill you once?”
“That was an accident! And she only did it because she liked me,” he adds, his voice quieting. “Damn. She used to like me.”
“Listen to me,” I say, finally losing control. I grab a fistful of his shirt and yank him closer, my voice nearly shaking with fury. “If these soldiers matter to you, leave. If you want to spare their lives, leave. I’m trying—I’m really trying to be a better person, but if even one of them hurts you I swear I’ll slaughter them all.”
“Really?” he says, his jaw tensing. “This is the first girl you decide to bring home to your family?”
Warner animates with movement so fluid I don’t even see him reach for a gun before he shoots James in the leg.
“Look, James, the truth is, he deserves better than me.”
"Hey.” Warner goes after him. “That’s my wife—”
Kenji turns back, his eyes widening in surprise. “What? Really? When did you get married?”
Warner shoves past him with a glare, his voice muffling as he heads up the stairwell. “I’m going to tell her what you did—”
“Me?” he says, staring at Warner’s back in outrage. “You’re the one who killed my tree!”
“Falling in love feels a little like dying,” she finally says. “No one really tells you that.”
“You really think you can date this girl?” she asks, giving me a hard look. “You think someone like her even knows how to be in a relationship? A girl like that doesn’t even know how to relax. She walks into a room and immediately identifies the exits before deciding which everyday objects might double as weapons—”
“That’s called being creative—”
“—she’s not meeting strangers and wondering what they like to do in their spare time; she meets new people and assesses their strengths and weaknesses in order to determine the best way to kill them—”
“She’s just a planner. She likes to plan ahead—”
“You think it would ever occur to her to do something for fun, or buy you a present on your birthday, or express her feelings without fear?”
I’ve been watched by infinite eyes all my life, but no one has ever looked at me and made me feel safe.
No one but him.
I understand then that I would kill for him without question. I would die for him without hesitation.
He lives, or no one lives.
I will protect him with my life.
I realize, as I look at her, that I might be willing to give up a piece of my soul for the chance to kiss her.
She’s so beautiful it’s actually a little hard on my brain. The first time I saw her I glitched so hard I convinced myself she wasn’t even human.
I can’t process the sight of her like this, in stillness.
She looks like if a flower were a person. Like if clouds were a person. Like if a person was made of cake.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
I don’t care if the world burns to the fucking ground, Rosabelle. You’re going to eat first.”
It occurs to me, once again, that I don’t want these soft, loud, messy people to die.
Standing next to James, he presents more like distant relatives.
His jaw drops open. “You dirty, filthy liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Let me see your pager.”
“No.”
“Hand it over.”
“No.”
“I will reach right into your pocket, bro; I am not afraid of you—”
He almost laughs. “You didn’t realize? One way or another, I walk away from you bleeding. You’ve given me more scars than anyone I’ve ever met.”
I can still taste her on my tongue. I can still feel her mouth on my skin. I tug blindly at the hem of my shirt, checking to make sure I’m decent. I’m grateful it’s dark in here. There’s nothing I can do about these pants.
She kissed my chest.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
The smile fades from my face. Need knifes through me.
“I just want to be clear,” he says, his voice tight. “That if we were up against anything less than a global threat right now, I’d be trying to figure out how to finish what we started in that diner.”
We lock eyes for a breathless moment.
“You kissed my chest,” he says finally.
“Your heart,” I whisper.
This answer seems to surprise him. “My heart?”
“Yes.”
“We have to split up.”
Kenji ducks down beside me as I say this, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. He wipes at his face with the hem of his shirt, breathing hard. “Just like that? No romance, no poetry? You’re just breaking up with me?”
~~~~~~
Tahereh better treat adam right in this one🤨
~~~~
okay, I have the book but I am reading two books at the moment and I REALLY REALLY don't have time to give everything to this book and I know that I will not put this book down when I will pick it up and ahhhh, it is so hard to not just dive right into this book. I am really enjoying one of my CR. I hate that I don't have time to read this book😭😭😭😭SEND HELP
~~~~
excuse me, but I just heard juliette might die during the childbirth?? what the actual fuck?? I might give shatter me series 3 stars at best now but I still hold all of them dear to my heart. I am so baffled right now wtf (it has to be a pr strategy but still who does that?)😭😭
~~~~~
Ahhhhhh, I have to wait a year for this😭😭😭
April 14, 2026
DON’T RELEASE ITTT 😭😭😭😭 #notmyjuliette #notmyaaron #notmyfuckingeverything don’t ever mention the ending around me, I swear tahereh ran out of the budget and warner’s pov is so forced and unnecessary, it’s clearly as day that he only have his pov (written badly anyway) so she can keep milking it, because no one really gaf about james and rosabelle because they are such empty and uninteresting characters and their “big love” only exists in tahereh’s head
April 12, 2026
Aaaah this felt like coming home again.😭✨🏠
To be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Watch Me” but I really love this one. Getting chapters from Warners POV nearly made me cry🥹 SO GOOD!
But I also really loved how James and Rosabelles relationship developed in this book and also the chemistry between both of them. 10/10💘 both of them are pure poetry
When it comes to the storyline, we’re not moving a lot forward in comparison to the first book because the focus is more on the building relationship between the two of them (which I enjoyed). I’m looking forward to see in book 3 how the storyline will continue.
Such a quick easy read, I devoured it.📖
To be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Watch Me” but I really love this one. Getting chapters from Warners POV nearly made me cry🥹 SO GOOD!
But I also really loved how James and Rosabelles relationship developed in this book and also the chemistry between both of them. 10/10💘 both of them are pure poetry
When it comes to the storyline, we’re not moving a lot forward in comparison to the first book because the focus is more on the building relationship between the two of them (which I enjoyed). I’m looking forward to see in book 3 how the storyline will continue.
Such a quick easy read, I devoured it.📖
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